Twitter turns off Tweetdeck to ‘assess’ JavaScript security breach
If you’re a Tweetdeck user and can’t login right now — there’s a reason. The service’s webapp contained a vulnerability that let it run scripts embedded in tweets; just reading a tweet could cause a popup to appear on your screen, redirect you to another website, hijack your account or even cause you to retweet something without knowing. Since Tweetdeck is used by many of the social media managers for widely-followed accounts, a flaw that spreads itself could quickly replicate across the service.The official Tweetdeck account claimed the vulnerability was fixed earlier, but that doesn’t appear to have worked, and as a result, Twitter has taken the service down “to assess today’s earlier security issue.” Even though you can’t login right now, it would probably be a good idea to revoke the service’s access to your account entirely until things are resolved.
[Image credit: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty Images]
We’ve temporarily taken TweetDeck services down to assess today’s earlier security issue. We’ll update when services are back up.
– TweetDeck (@TweetDeck) June 11, 2014
Oh dear. That Tweetdeck XSS vulnerability is RT-ing stuff… its just hit @BBCBreaking! pic.twitter.com/8siffmsFxi
– Matt Navarra (@MattNavarraUK) June 11, 2014
@astroehlein tweetdeck is not stripping out dangerous scripting code from tweets. So you can run JavaScript in the context of another user
– Chris Williams (@diodesign) June 11, 2014
Filed under: Internet
Source: Tweetdeck (Twitter)
PlayStation at E3 2014: an interview with Worldwide Studios head Shuhei Yoshida
Sony Computer Entertainment’s Shuhei Yoshida wants his company’s new game-streaming service, PlayStation Now, to be the Netflix of gaming. When it launches later this summer, it won’t be. In fact, it’s launching in open beta. “We have to walk before we run,” Yoshida told us in an interview this week at E3, the game industry’s big annual show in Los Angeles. He sees the service as a long-term plan, part of Sony’s ongoing initiative to bring PlayStation games to many devices. And that plan is just kicking off.
Beyond taking our questions, we also asked you fine folks for your questions. Yoshida, gregarious as ever, took the time to answer each; you’ll find that video below.
These are the biggest PlayStation games at E3 2014
The launch window is over. The PlayStation 4 is, for now, leading the sales charts and the best way for Sony to keep driving that momentum this generation is with — what else? — compelling games. This year’s showing at Sony’s E3 booth is no different than the last: You’ve got your smattering of indies, AAA titles and downloadable content. So what should you expect to add to your growing collection in 2014? We took a tour of Sony’s booth to find out.
The Order: 1886
Developer Ready at Dawn’s third-person shooter is set in an atmospheric London during the Second Industrial Revolution and pits the knights of the order against half-breeds — supernatural-like figures. You play as the quasi-immortal knight Galahad in an attempt to strike down the rebels trying to overtake the monarchy, as well as creatures like the lycans (that’s fancy for “werewolves”).
The playable demo on the show floor focused mostly on the game’s rote shooting mechanics, and stayed far away from The Order‘s promised supernatural element. But Sony also let us into a closed-door session that teased a protracted fight between Galahad and an impressively detailed lycan that shifted seamlessly between in-game cinematics, (dreaded) quick-time events and good ‘ol shooting. If there’s anything to praise The Order for, it’s that dynamic shift between real-time events and cut scenes. Sure the studio spent a fair amount of time researching London to get the surrounding landscape and in-game objects just right, but it’s still just another shooter, no matter how pretty it’s been dressed up.
LittleBigPlanet 3
Sackboy is back and, thankfully, much easier to control in this PS4 debut for the LittleBigPlanet franchise. For LittleBigPlanet 3, Media Molecule paid attention to fan feedback and made sure to tighten up Sackboy’s platforming controls, making his movements more precise and less slippery. The title also adds in three new helpers: Toggle for heavy lifting/speed, Swoop for flight and Oddsock for agility. Each of these new characters offers players unique abilities to tackle the multi-layered world’s many puzzle elements in the single player story mode or during level creation. And speaking of layers, the studio’s bumped the game’s level of depth to 16 layers, a massive increase from the previous title’s three. LittleBigPlanet 3 is absolutely gorgeous on the PS4 and with a vast library of user-generated levels available for download, it should make for an enticing, if not familiar addition to your PS4 library.
Entwined
If you’ve ever played Rez on the PS2, you’ll feel right at home with Pixelopus’ Entwined. There are no bad guys to take out, but the core flying mechanic through a trippy visual space is much the same. Players take on the role of two separated lovers — a frog and a bird — trying to reunite (into dragon form) as they fly through color-coordinated goals and gain power-ups. Entwined moves along on a rail and forces the player to control each character (and each side of their brain) simultaneously using the left and right analog sticks. The graphics are simple, yet brilliant and the game’s intoxicating score lends to its Zen vibe. And it’s already available on PSN. So gamers looking for an alternative to the kill kill kill mechanic we see so often shouldn’t hesitate to pick this relaxing title up.
CounterSpy
The two superpowers of the world are in a race to blow up the moon (yes — “blow up”) in CounterSpy and it’s up to you to foil their plans. This Cold War-inspired effort — the first from Dynamighty — adheres closely to the stealth genre with some first-person shooter twists that keep the 2.5D side-scrolling action from wearing thin. It’s not only a fun romp through a Bond-esque world, but it’s also beautifully designed. Which isn’t all that surprising considering the studio’s creative director is a former Pixar employee. CounterSpy will be available across PlayStation platforms, so you’ll have your pick when it hits this summer.
Driveclub
You might remember this one from last year’s E3. Driveclub was supposed to be a PS4 launch title, but developer Evolution Studios wasn’t quite happy with the game’s social framework. And with the blessing of Sony’s Worldwide Studios, the game got pushed back to a release this fall.
So what’s new? Well, for one thing, that longer development time means the game’s graphics are that much prettier, though it still runs at 1080p30. Small details like the deep draw distance, lighting effects, car damage and the ability to see into the driver’s dash in bright sunlight ensure the game’s status as a true next-gen title. But don’t go thinking this is a driving sim; controls for the various cars may be realistic, but Evolution Studios has layered on mini-challenges to keep you immersed in the fun even if you’re racing in dead last place. That said, the game really shines when you’re engaged in a friendly club vs. club networked multiplayer.
Helldivers
Swedish developer Arrowhead Games’ top-down shooter is the type of game that’s made for local multiplayer. Helldivers lets up to four players control delinquent space cops as they explore procedurally generated worlds and mercilessly slaughter hordes of alien enemies. The game leans heavily on co-op play, but there’s an interesting mechanic baked in that gives Helldivers added tension and difficulty: Players can wield a rich arsenal of weapons and exosuits to help clear out a level, but accessing each of them involves frantic sequenced button pushes (e.g., ‘down, down, down, down’ gets you a rifle). It’s maddening in practice, but we mean that in the best way possible.
[Image credit: Sony PlayStation]
Galaxy S5 Mini images and specs leak
Ever since Samsung introduced its flagship Galaxy S5 smartphone we’ve been wondering when the “mini” version of the device will come out. We haven’t seen any leaks of the phone, at least not legitimate ones. This leak will make up for it though.
By the looks of the phone you probably can’t tell it apart from its bigger sibling, but the hardware is where the two differentiate. Unlike the S5, the S5 Mini is rumored to feature a 4.5″ 720p Super AMOLED display along with a 1.4 GHz Samsung Exynos 3 (3470) Quad processor and 1.5GB of RAM. The phone is rumored to have 16GB of on-board storage and an 8MP main shooter along with a 2.1MP front facing one. Fingerprint reader and a heartrate sensor should also be a part of the package. The device should also get IP67 certification which would make it water and dust resistent like its bigger sibling.
This leak comes from SamMobile and there’s no mention of when the device might be announced. Samsung’s “Galaxy Premiere 2014” event on Thursday is always a possibility though.
VIA: Android Authority
SOURCE: SamMobile
The post Galaxy S5 Mini images and specs leak appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Create simple yet gorgeous gradient wallpapers with Mixt [App of the Day]
Looking to add a nice, minimal wallpaper to your Android and really dig the gradient effect? Today’s app recommendation makes that drop dead simple. No, we’re not talking about a bundle of predesigned wallpapers that somebody else put together. This free app lets you pick and choose the exact color combination you love most and set it as your own wallpaper.
Using Mixt is as about as straightforward as it gets: tap a circle and pick a color and then repeat. Set as wallpaper and you’re done! You won’t find the wallpapers in your normal setting; the app is accessed through your app tray.
Mix and match some of these designs with some fantastic minimal icon packs (like KooGoo, for example) and you’ll have an instant refresh for your home screen.
It’s free, easy as pie, and works wonders.
The post Create simple yet gorgeous gradient wallpapers with Mixt [App of the Day] appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Verizon to carry LG G3 on July 17, report says
Verizon will offer the LG G3 starting from July 17, or so says a source close to @evleaks. Reportedly, the device will be made available for pre-orders one week earlier, on June 10. It’s unclear whether other carriers are expecting to carry the flagship device on or around the same time but we’d be surprised if any provider had an exclusive for more than a few days. So there you have it, put aside your money or start selling your stuff!
The post Verizon to carry LG G3 on July 17, report says appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Intel and San Jose’s smart city will use real-time data to monitor air quality and more
Today Intel announced a partnership with the city of San Jose, with the goal of improving quality of life through real-time data tracking of air quality, traffic flow and more. The six-month pilot program is Intel’s first “smart city” implementation in the US, and it’s being presented today as part of the White House SmartAmerica Challenge in Washington, DC.
Working with San Jose, Intel’s developed a platform — including plenty of sensors, of course — for collecting data on traffic, air and water quality and many other stats. In terms of what’s being monitored, the program doesn’t sound terribly different from the Hudson Yards “smart neighborhood” we toured earlier this year, but Intel’s program is currently more focused on getting a grip on an entire city’s vital stats than improving particular residential areas.
The collected data will be shared with government officials through mobile apps and APIs to help inform decision-making. San Jose residents will also have access to statistics, with the hope that being informed will make them more involved in the well-being of their city. Another potential benefit of the program: the addition of about 25,000 clean-tech jobs, fueled by the new infrastructure for monitoring and collecting data.
San Jose is just a starting point for Intel’s vision. The company cites growing urbanization as an urgent reason for implementing smart city technology across the globe. (Outside the US, Intel is currently running a pilot in San Jose’s sister city of Dublin.) With the San Jose pilot program, Intel will be refining its platform for collecting and analyzing city data. VP of Ton Steenman also said that as the initiative matures, it will be able to tackle additional issues such as street light quality. Further down the line, privacy concerns could be an issue if a city collects data on particular neighborhoods or houses, but for now Intel stresses that its efforts are on the large scale.
Other projects featured at the SmartAmerica Challenge showcase include concepts for smarter emergency response systems, new energy solutions and the use of robotics for installations and base operations. A “closed-loop” healthcare system, which we covered back in April, will also be discussed. For anyone wondering about the next step for the Internet of Things, Intel and others clearly have — pretty exciting — answers.
Source: Intel
Like it or not, your Comcast Xfinity router may now be a WiFi hotspot
Comcast has just transformed part of Houston into a WiFi commune by activating 50,000 residential Xfinity routers, according to the Houston Chronicle. The new service will give any Comcast client free WiFi access via those “xfinitywifi” hotspots, and is just the beginning of a larger rollout. As revealed earlier, the unloved cable outfit may eventually launch a mobile network using WiFi from subscribers’ modems along with leased cellular capacity, possibly from Verizon. A lot of customers now broadcasting WiFi may not actually know they’re doing so, however, since Comcast opted them in by default — though it did warn users by mail. It added that the changes won’t expose home networks or affect your internet connection speeds thanks to added capacity. There’s another 100,000 routers coming on line in the city soon as well, but you can opt out by following the rather convoluted procedure right here.
Filed under: Wireless, Internet
Source: Houston Chronicle
PlayStation TV coming to the UK this autumn for £85
You may have heard that Sony is finally launching the PlayStation TV (or Vita TV as it was previously known) outside of Japan. We know that the mini-console will be priced at $99/€99 in North America and Europe respectively, but we were left in the dark over how much it would cost in the UK. Until now. Eurogamer reports that when it arrives in the autumn, the PlayStation TV will retail for £84.99. That’s a significant bump over the £60 (plus taxes) it would set you back if you went out to the US and bought one direct. To make matters worse, Sony won’t offer UK customers the PS3 DualShock controller bundle like it does in the US and Asia. That said, it’ll still mirror your PlayStation 4 screen and you’ll still be able to play lots of Vita games, PlayStation games and stream video content, as well as music and video from Sony’s own store.
Source: Eurogamer
Greener fridges will keep cool using magnets instead of chemicals
Though modern refrigerators are getting fancy and connected, they’re still just a jumble of pipes, pumps and hazardous fluids. Scientists from Canada and Bulgaria have made a discovery in the field of so-called magnetic cooling that may change their core functionality, however. Such systems work when ferromagnetic materials are removed from a magnetic field, causing them to cool down. That cooling energy can be recaptured using water as a heat transfer fluid instead of environmentally harmful hydrofluorocarbon refrigerants. Previous experiments have yielded inefficient systems, but researchers found a compound that could create a so-called giant magnetocaloric effect merely by rotating in a magnetic field. That drastically reduces the required input energy, and could one day result in simpler, more efficient fridges — or anything else that needs to chill.
Via: PhysOrg
Source: Applied Physics Letters
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